


Changing Tides

by CayStar



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 09:08:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30120447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CayStar/pseuds/CayStar
Summary: Embry thought nothing would surprise him after turning into a wolf and fighting vampires, but Bella doesn't fall into either of those categories.
Relationships: Embry Call/Bella Swan





	1. Chapter 1

Title: Changing Tides    
Genre: Romance/Supernatural    
Rating: M (not really this one, but future chapters will be…)    
Pairing: Bella/Embry    
Words: 2,735   
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.   
  
AN: This is my story for GeezerWench, and I hope you like it! It’s something different that I’ve been thinking about writing, and it finally came together for me, so here it is! And YES, there will be at least 2 more chapters, so don’t think this is it.   
This was inspired by one of my favorite graphic artists, SPRSPR on deviantart: http://sprsprsdigitalart.deviantart.com/art/Stranded-501564387#    
  
  
  
~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~   
  
Changing Tides   
  
_ He's making a break for the water! Head him off at the beach, Embry—we don't need him to get away like that redheaded bitch did _ , Sam ordered harshly as he ran through the woods as fast as he could. He and Jake were still cursing the fact that the she-vamp had slipped through their trap.   
  
_ Bob Marley is cornered up here—we'll take him out,  _ Paul responded from the clifftops where he, Jared and Seth had pinned the dreadlocked vampire.   
  
Embry stalked along the coast, moving quiet as the shadow his dappled grey fur resembled. His eyes were locked on the blond bloodsucker leaping from tree to tree on his way to the rocky shore. Just as the sickening scent of death and sugar reached his sensitive nose, he heard a soft splash, and another more tantalizing fragrance drew his attention.   
  
Keeping an eye on the approaching leech, Embry took several steps closer to the water, drawn in by the light breeze laced with wild strawberry and honeysuckle. He saw her hair first—long brown hair, so thick and lustrous, even soaked as it was by the seawater.   
  
_ Sam, there's someone here. I have to protect her—how close are you?  _ Embry's voice was quiet even in the pack mind, but the wolves' attention all shifted to the girl in his sights.   
  
He thought she was unconscious at first, but a quiet sob was accompanied by a shudder that revealed her pale, bare shoulder. Her long hair draped modestly around her torso, but it was clear to Embry that she wasn't clothed.   
  
One small hand was curled into a fist at her delicate collarbone, while the other reached around to clasp the opposite shoulder, covering her breasts and protecting her modesty from his lupine eyes.   
  
She didn't appear to notice the waves crashing around her as she shook her head back and forth, crying softly into the pebbled shore. He watched in awe as one small wave seemed to reach up and softly brush the tears from her cheek.   
  
As he took a step closer, he saw a flicker of movement from the waves where he thought the rest of her body lay. There was absolute silence in the pack mind for a solid three seconds when the motion was repeated and Embry caught sight of a shimmering blue tail covered in iridescent scales.   
  
_ What the hell? _ _   
_ _   
_ _ No! It's impossible! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ I don't believe it! _ _   
_   
"Marco, Marco,  _ Marco _ ! I'm so sorry,  _ mio fratello _ . So, so sorry…  _ Papà _ !" Her voice stopped the frantic thoughts that had distracted Embry, and the sound of it touched something deep inside him, drawing him closer still.   
  
His next step was not as careful, and he dislodged a pebble, sending it clattering across the way. The girl looked up, meeting Embry's eyes in a life-altering moment that stunned him into immobility. Her eyes were a vibrant storm of cerulean blue, deep stormy grey, and swirls of white sea foam. He felt himself drawn into their soothing depths, like sinking into a cool mountain stream or soft summer rain shower.   
  
The girl stared back at the wolf, unafraid of his size or proximity, and began to pull herself up further onto the shore. She wasn't as graceful on land in this form, but she shifted her tail to curl beside her as she rose up to a seated position.   
  
As she rested there in the waves, a flurry of motion behind her wolf had her face transforming in an instant. Gone were the welcoming blue eyes and soft smile she had offered to Embry, and in their place was the terrifying sight only seen by a few unlucky sailors at the end of their lives.   
  
Her white teeth sharpened into points like a shark, her eyes just as dark as her deadly sea cousins.  _ "No!"  _ she hissed, the unearthly sound nearly breaking the wolf's heart as he thought for a moment that the word was directed to him.   
  
_ Embry! Behind you!  _ Sam's warning was barely enough, and Embry whirled on his feet to catch the blond leech as he began to leap toward the pair.   
  
"Oh, this is a lucky day indeed! A mermaid  _ and _ a werewolf! Twice the fun!" His voice grated on their sensitive ears, and the girl—mermaid as he'd pointed out—let out an answering screech that called all the sea birds in the area to swarm the beach.   
  
Embry panicked for a moment when he lost sight of both the girl and his prey, but his brothers ran out on the beach just as he spied the blond ponytail lunging toward his sea beauty. His growl was as unearthly as her scream, but both cut off abruptly when the screeching metal sound of a dismembered vampire rent the air.   
  
Focused on securing her safety, Embry phased back without a thought and reached into the shorts strapped to his leg to pull out a lighter. He lifted the corpse's head up by its stringy hair and lit the end on fire. "Have fun in hell," he hissed lowly as he tossed the head toward the twitching pile of limbs.   
  
Completely forgetting his nudity, Embry turned toward the girl who was now staring up at him in awe, delight dancing in her soft blue eyes. She sat up a bit straighter, her thick hair falling across her breasts, as he crouched before her, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.   
  
"Hello," he began, reaching slowly for her hand where it rested on her beautiful thick tail. "I'm Embry."   
  
Her smile was breathtaking, and a small part of him was relieved to see that her teeth were no longer sharp and pointed, but smooth and flat like human teeth. She inclined her head with a rather genteel air and offered, "Isabella," in a slightly accented voice. "Thank you for destroying the red-eyed demon. I did not know such a thing was possible!"   
  
Embry frowned as his thumb stroked the back of her hand, marveling at the smooth texture of her skin—less permeable than a human's, it more closely resembled that of a dolphin or other aquatic mammals.   
  
"Have you seen others like this one?" He asked, automatically tightening his hold on her hand when her eyes darkened once more and filled with tears.   
  
"Yes," she choked out softly. " _ Mio papà _ —my father—he was just… he was just… he was eaten by a she-demon right there in the water! She smiled at me as she bit him, and he told me to swim away. I tried to save him, but I just couldn't!" she wailed, collapsing into Embry's arms with little warning.   
  
His back to his brothers, Embry sat down at the water's edge and pulled the sobbing girl into his lap. She curled into his chest with a shudder, her cool, salty tears wetting his skin as she pressed her face against his neck.   
  
He didn't know quite what to do with her tail as he lifted her—its weight surprised him, as well as its dexterity. She folded it in half the way a human would bend her knees, and the delicate fin at the end waved softly against his bare leg.   
  
Embry found himself mesmerized by her pliancy, the way she surrendered to him without a thought. He held her close to prove his protection, stroking the scales of her beautiful tail with one hand, while the other gently combed the tangles from the hair cascading down her back.   
  
Her tears began to slow as she drifted into an uneasy sleep, and the voices of his brothers—also in human form—began to filter back into his consciousness.   
  
"Do you think it was the redhead?" someone murmured softly, guilt radiating from every word. Embry clenched his teeth with a soft growl, not wanting to consider the idea that his pack's failure could have cost his mate—his imprint—her father, and possibly more. He couldn't forget the name she'd cried before— _ Marco _ .   
  
She shifted in his lap, and her hair fell away revealing one small, pert breast. Try as he might, he could not look away, and he felt his body respond to sight of her pale perfection. He finally realized he was also nude, and he cursed himself for not slipping his shorts on before reaching for her earlier.   
  
As she moved again, he felt a strange sensation against his leg, where her tail was resting. As he watched in stunned disbelief, the blue scales slowly faded and morphed as her thick tail melted into two pale, slender legs. Her tiny feet curled up to rest against his hip as she turned herself in his lap.   
  
Now that she was seemingly as human as he currently was, his cock was sitting at full attention and taking notice of her beauty. Her sleep was undisturbed as his rigid length prodded at the soft skin of her stomach, mere inches away from where he truly wished it to be.   
  
"Embry?" Sam's voice was close, too close, and Embry couldn't hold back his warning growl. Isabella's eyes flew open at the sound, and he was startled to see that they were now a rich brown, accented with flecks of moss green. Apparently her legs weren't the only things to change when she shifted.   
  
Seeing the wary look on her face, he lowered his head without a thought and rubbed his nose against her temple in what turned out to be a soothing gesture to them both. She smiled softly as she closed her eyes and brushed her cheek against his in response.   
  
"Embry, we need to get out of sight—the fire is out now. You can bring her back to my house if you'd like." Sam's voice was softer, coaxing, and Embry's wolf responded to his alpha's subtle nudge.   
  
"Isabella?" He didn't miss the way she shivered when he spoke her name for the first time. "Are you comfortable on land? Will you come and meet my pack?"   
  
He looked so hopeful that she found she couldn’t tell him no, no matter how much the idea terrified her. Looking down, she felt a blush color her face, and she glanced over his shoulder to see his “pack” standing nearby.   
  
“It has been many years since I last gained my legs, but I should be fine. If there are humans there, I will need to borrow some clothing,” she whispered quietly, but not quietly enough that the others couldn’t hear. Embry shivered as her lips brushed his ear. “And please, call me Bella.”   
  
Embry turned his head and raised his eyebrow. Sam was the first to respond. “I will run and get something from Emily, but you two should move to the trees at least. Even with the storm, someone may come by here.”   
  
With that, the boys slipped into the trees to phase and run back, the pack mind a strange collage of images—including an imagined one of a faceless merman being attacked by the red-haired leech they had allowed to escape.   
  
With his brothers gone, Embry stood easily to his feet and sprinted for the relative safety of the forest. Bella glanced behind her a bit wistfully, but she told herself that the sea was not going anywhere, and she would return again soon.   
  
Satisfied that they were no longer visible from the beach, Embry stopped running but found he did not want to release his mate yet. Her weight was negligible in his strong arms, and she seemed completely at ease with both his grip and their mutual nudity.   
  
“Embry?” she spoke softly, her voice carrying a musical quality that soothed his battered soul. “Am I your mate?”   
  
He looked down at her in surprise, sucked in once more to her open gaze. Her natural beauty stunned him all over again, and he felt himself nod without permission. “You’re my imprint, yes. I will be whatever you need—a friend, a lover, a brother. But most of all, I am your protector.”   
  
She cocked her head to the side and made a small clicking noise with her mouth, one that could have been either in speculation or agreement. Her eyes made a circuit of his face, taking in every feature from his dark hair falling across his forehead, to his warm hazel eyes, to the straight line of his nose and his chiseled jaw.   
  
A pleased smile was all the warning he got before she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. “I do not need a brother—I will call mine to me when I am certain the danger has passed. I feel the mating call with you, and you please me. You will be my friend, and my lover.”   
  
The warmth that filled him at her words was enough to chase away the past sixteen years of abandonment, neglect, and abuse he had suffered at the hands of his parents and tribe. The sense of belonging that had begun in him when he joined the pack was now completed by the small creature he held firmly in his arms. She was his, and he was hers.   
  
Embry’s head turned to the side when he heard Sam approach. The older man did not step into view, but called out, “I have a dress that should fit her, and some dry shorts for you as well. Meet us at the house when you’re ready.”   
  
Bella stood a bit unsteadily when he finally set her on her feet, but after a moment she seemed to gain her equilibrium and she smiled up at him, looking pleased with herself. Embry was taken aback by her beauty.   
  
Her long hair had dried while she was in his arms, and the complex shades of brown and red fell in loose waves all the way to her slender hips. Her pale, creamy skin was unblemished and smooth, flowing over her curves like the finest white chocolate. He was surprised to find that he missed the contrasting blue scales of her tail, and he knew he would have to get her back in the water again very soon. He already loved his imprint—all sides of her.   
  
Taking her hand, Embry led her to the spot where Sam had left their clothing. He pulled out a soft blue sundress that smelled of his alpha’s mate, and held it up to Bella’s small frame. It would definitely be loose, but it would cover the parts of her that he wished to keep only for himself.   
  
Bella looked at the material dubiously, then held her arms up like a child for Embry to dress her. She giggled as she smoothed down the light material, and watched as her mate slipped on the strange short pants she’d seen the other shifters wear. “Fashions have certainly changed since the last time I mingled with the human world. I see there are many things I will need to learn.”   
  
Embry paused and stared at her as the thought occurred to him. “How old are you?”   
  
Her laughter rang out like bells, bouncing off the trees and causing birds to answer her in song. “I am not certain. We do not keep time the way that humans do, under the sea. Many years though. Hundreds?”   
  
His eyes widened in a combination of fear and awe as he stared at her youthful features. “You are immortal?”   
  
She cocked her head again, a trait he found increasingly endearing. “I do not know this word, but my people do not live and die as humans do. Is it the same way for wolves?”   
  
He shook his head in worry, as he did not know the answer. “I’m not sure. We do not age while we are phasing, but most stop because their mates are human. We will be different, you and I.”   
  
Her eyes filled with tears at the mere thought of someday losing her beautiful mate, and she threw herself into his arms, seeking his comforting warmth. She had lost so much already—her mother, so many years ago, her father just that day, and her brother was waiting alone somewhere for her to call him. She couldn’t risk doing so until the demon that killed their father was destroyed.    
  
Speaking soft words in Quileute, Embry carried her toward the pack. They would both need support as they moved forward together in their new life.   
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Changing Tides

Part 2

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~   
  


Singing filled his ears as he woke slowly in the grey morning light. He smiled before he opened his eyes, not reaching for his mate because he could hear that she was already moving around their small kitchen, creating delicious concoctions designed to coax him from their bed. Bella had taken to cooking for her wolf with unparalleled delight.

As he walked down the hallway, his smile grew even wider. Bella had spent the past few weeks adjusting to modern life, but music was one of her favorite discoveries. Embry had found her an old iPod and filled it with music from every decade and every genre. She loved it all, and sometimes her song choices were seriously amusing to her wolf.

As she danced around the room, scrambling a large bowl of eggs while the sausages cooked on the stove, she was singing as usual. The birds outside the window provided a perfect harmony to her melodic voice. With a soft growl, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her neck. “Morning, honey. I missed you when I woke up.”

She smiled and leaned into his embrace, never missing a beat with her preparations. “I apologize. I knew you needed your rest after your patrol last night.” He’d been out until nearly dawn—the pack hadn’t been able to rest since the evil redhead had shown back up. Embry still hadn’t found a way to tell his mate that the leech who was most likely responsible for her father’s death was back in their territory once more.

Moving his hands lower, he discovered that Bella was wearing absolutely nothing underneath his t-shirt. She was strangely averse to wearing clothes in general, but since his pack mates had made a habit of stopping by their little cottage at odd times, she would submit to wearing something to cover her unless they were in the bedroom.

Completely in tune with her wolf, Bella arched her back, pushing herself back where she could feel him rapidly hardening against her. She slipped the pan off the burner and turned off the stove in one quick movement before turning quickly in his arms to press her lips to his.

“Mmm, honey, I want you, need you,” Embry growled, lifting her easily to sit at the edge of the countertop. He slid her shirt off and dropped his shorts, only taking a brief moment to pause and make sure she was ready for him.

Waving off his concerns, Bella wrapped her legs around him, pulling him close as he worked his way into her slowly. When they were fully joined, he lowered his face and pressed a tender kiss to his mark on her neck.

The first time they’d come together, Embry had been horrified when he let his wolf  _ bite _ his imprint. Her soft, human skin was completely flawless before his teeth left their indelible mark, but she eased his concerns when she quickly followed with a rather fierce bite of her own. Her sharpened mermaid teeth left an unmistakable mark on his shoulder—one he wore proudly.

Embry groaned as Bella’s lips found that scar, brushing it softly before her small tongue peeked out to sensually massage the sensitive mark. His hand tightened on her hips as he picked up a fast pace, thrusting into her with more force than he could use with a regular human. His mermaid was no delicate goldfish.

“Yes!  _ Yes _ , my Embry!” Embry loved when she called him hers. He desired nothing more than being completely owned by his beautiful little imprint.

He held her tightly against him even after they both reached their completion, not wanting to begin the conversation he’d been avoiding. He wanted to keep his imprint blissfully unaware of the potential danger, but he knew she deserved to know the truth.

He separated his body from hers regretfully, but did not release her from his embrace. Her wide eyes looked at him in question, and he scooped her up and walked to the table to sit down with her in his lap. “Honey, I need to talk to you about something, but I don’t want to upset you. There are some…  _ people _ you need to meet.”

~oOo~

The pack approached the invisible border with their instincts on high alert. They never dreamed that they would ever have to bring one of their own—and an  _ imprint _ at that—to meet with their uneasy allies. However, with Bella the clear target of the vindictive vamp, the pack agreed that the Cullens needed to be made aware of her.

Bella slid carefully from Embry’s back, surrounded by wolves on all sides. She rubbed an absent hand through the fur of those nearest to her while she waited for Embry to phase back and slip on his shorts. Once his hands were free, he wrapped them around her and held her close to his side.

Sam was the only other wolf phased, and he greeted the yellow-eyed leeches with a formal dignity. Just as Embry and Bella stepped into view, a struggle broke out on the other side of the line.

A harsh growl put the wolves instantly on the defensive, and the blond warrior only just managed to grab his brother before he crossed the line. “Carlisle! His bloodlust is off the charts! I can’t hold him!”

Carlisle stared at his oldest son, stunned by the sight of his normally impeccable control unraveling. When the scent that had tempted Edward reached him, it was Carlisle who lost all composure. “ _ La tua cantante? _ It’s impossible…” he whispered, gazing across the clearing to the petite girl surrounded by wolves.

Hearing his voice, Bella stepped around Embry and looked at the blond vampire a little more closely. Her eyes widened at the same time Carlisle’s did, and they spoke over one another. “Isabella?”

“ _ Stregoni benefici? _ ”

Emmett and Jasper had moved Edward away by that point, and the rest of the group was too stunned to move as Bella and Carlisle stepped toward one another. “Is it really you,  _ piccola? _ What are you doing here? How is your father? And… and Celeste?”

A look of pain crossed her face and Bella shuddered at his words, shaking her head sadly. “They are gone,  _ signore _ . They are both gone…”

Embry growled at the Cullen patriarch as Bella turned to bury her face against her mate. Her soft sobs filled the tense clearing, tugging at the hearts of everyone present.

Carlisle couldn’t take his eyes off the small mermaid, even as venom distorted his vision and Esme reached for him tentatively. “Carlisle? Do you know this girl?”

He jolted, looking around him as if he just realized he and Bella were not alone in the clearing. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he raised his hand to scratch the back of his neck in a ridiculously human gesture. “I do. I met her many years ago, before I came to this country. She and her family were living on the coast of Italy.”

Bella smiled against Embry’s warm skin, the memories of that happier time in her long life. “It was my first time living among the humans. We moved onto land so that my brother could be delivered,” she explained. “ _ Signore  _ Cullen was there at his birth.”

A confused frown crossed her face as she turned to look back at the vampire. "But how can that be? I thought you were human? Did you become immortal sometime later?"

Everyone tensed at her question, unsure how she would react to what she would learn. Carlisle looked to the wolves for help, unwilling to hurt the girl he still viewed as a child, though among those present she was the only one even close to him in age.

Embry hugged her close, tilting her face toward him. “Honey, the Cullens are... _ unique  _ among their kind. You see how their eyes are gold?”

He waited for her nod before continuing. “Dr. Cullen and his family have a treaty with our pack, because they choose to live differently. They respect human life, unlike other... _ vampires _ .”

Bella froze in an agonizing combination of shock and fear, but the look in her eyes was pure betrayal. What Embry didn't know was if that emotion was directed toward him or the doctor.

Backing up against the wall of wolves, Bella pulled away from both her mate and her old acquaintance. “No! No,  _ non è possibile. _ A demon? He can't be!”

Carlisle looked as though he'd been punched in the gut as he leaned toward the girl, hands clasped tightly together as if to keep himself from reaching for her. “Isabella, please, let me explain! I–”

“ _ No!”  _ With a final anguished cry, Bella turned and ran off through the woods, with Embry trailing closely after her, heartbroken at the thought of his little mate’s apparent distress.

His superior speed on land combined with his innate connection to the forest let Embry catch up to Bella within just a few yards. His arms shot out to catch her as she stumbled with a loud, agonized sob that was echoed by the seabirds miles away on the shore.

The rest of the pack was divided—some circled protectively around the couple, while the rest stood guard at the treaty line. The vampires remained motionless as only their kind could. It seemed as if it took hours for Bella to cry herself out, but with a hiccup she finally pulled her head up to look her mate in the eye.

“Embry,” her voice was small like a child’s as she pleaded with her mate, “can we please go home?”

He dropped his head and sighed as he prepared to disappoint the most important person in his life. “No, honey, we can’t. We came to meet with the Cullens for a reason. No one knew you had already met the doctor, but those original reasons are still in play.”

When they turned back towards the group Bella saw that Leah had phased back and now stood between the couple and the wolves. She smiled tenderly at Bella before looking to Embry. “I can take her home if you want. She shouldn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to.”

Embry growled a warning at her even as Bella reached for her friend. “No, sister, I will come. I need to speak with my old friend.”

Safely tucked between the two wolves, Bella stepped slowly back toward the gathering. Drawing from their strength and her own determination, she straightened her back and raised her head as she faced Carlisle once again.

Before she could speak, the vampire began apologizing. “Isabella, I am so sorry if you feel as though I deceived you all those years ago. That was never my intent. Your parents were fully aware of who and what I am, and I suppose they simply did not see the need to tell you at your relatively young age.

“I had only been in the village a few days when your father sought my help. He explained that Celeste had struggled during her pregnancy with you, and he wanted to be sure there would be someone to help when it came time to deliver your brother.

“While your father worked at the docks, I often dropped by to visit with you and your mother. You were such a delightful child—so inquisitive and full of energy. I would take you for walks and tell you stories to give Celeste time to rest.”

Bella had tears streaming down her face as Carlisle’s familiar voice reminded her of the happier times they had spent together. Carlisle had left not long after Marco was born, but for that month or so she and the vampire had been inseparable.

Stepping forward, Bella reached her hand out toward the doctor. “I remember. You are not like the red-eyed demons I have seen. I trust you,  _ signore _ .”

~oOo~

With the initial drama behind them, Sam and Carlisle soon worked out a plan to trap the redhead. Bella had almost been reduced to hysterics once more when it was revealed that her father’s killer was snooping around the area. Embry had to pull her away and console her while the others discussed their strategy.

Leah had volunteered to stay with Bella any time Embry had to be away from her, and the younger wolves would strictly patrol closest to the actual dwellings on the reservation. The rest of the pack adjusted their patrol routes to overlap with the Cullens, hopefully eliminating any chance for the redhead to slip through their lines.

It was actually the Cullens who ended up trapping her, although they did work with the wolves to finish her off. She was sticking to the treaty line, trying to disguise her scent with that of the wolves’ when Emmett made a grab for her that brought him dangerously close to crossing. 

As the family ran down their side, the wolves appeared on the other. Edward was in the lead as the fastest, and he tapped into the pack mind when Sam called silently for his attention.

_ Chase her back this way and then follow her across the line. We’ll be waiting where those trees hang over.  _

The plan worked beautifully and Edward wound up catching her around the waist as Embry grabbed her neck with his teeth. They made quick work of tearing her to pieces and burning her immediately.

When Embry brought the ashes home to show his mate, she laughed in delight and headed straight to the beach to call her brother. The wolves gathered at the edge of the trees to see what she would do.

_ If she stands there in the water calling out “Marco” you know I’m gonna have to phase and answer Polo.  _ Quil nudged Embry as he joked, but Embry was completely focused on his beautiful little mate.

Bella still wore Embry’s t-shirt with nothing underneath, but as she waded into the shallow water, they watched her legs slowly transform back into her tail, and then she disappeared under the waves.

In the water, Bella was making a series of clicking sounds—the same language the dolphins used to communicate. The water would carry her voice out over several miles, and it didn’t take long for her to get an answer.

The pack caught sight of a shape moving quickly, almost like a torpedo through the cold, dark water. It hit a certain spot about twenty yards from shore, and suddenly two figures surfaced, locked tightly in an embrace.

Embry couldn’t help but feel jealous, though he tried to tamp it down as quickly as he could. They could all hear Bella’s tinkling laughter in chorus with a deep booming laugh. Next to him, Leah gave an odd shiver when she heard the sound.

The mer-siblings disappeared back under the water for a while, but the pack soon saw them begin to walk out of the waves near where Bella entered the water. Embry was grateful to see her snag her shirt where she had left it on a piece of driftwood and slip it over her head, but the man next to her made no effort to cover his nudity.

Beside Bella’s petite frame, they could see just how big Marco was—he was easily as tall as Jacob at six and a half feet, and his large barrel chest and massive arms made even Quil look smaller. His dark hair was a perfect match to Bella’s, though his hung only to his shoulders. It wasn’t hard to imagine him under the sea like a storybook character with a trident in his hand.

“Embry! Come and meet my brother!” Sighing deeply, Embry phased back and slipped on his shorts. A brief thought had him turning back to a hollow log where they kept extra shorts. He grabbed a pair of athletic shorts that would hopefully have enough stretch that Marco could put them on.

He strode across the beach toward the siblings, noting the way his little mate smiled bigger than he’d ever seen her smile before. She was tucked under Marco’s arm, held closely to his side, and she glanced up at him every other step or so. It was easy to see how much they loved each other.

Still, when he got within a few yards of them, Bella turned that smile on him and ran to jump into his arms. As soon as her lips connected with his, every worry Embry had disappeared. He felt like smacking himself in the head for being jealous of her brother of all people. 

Once she let him up for air, Embry smiled and held his hand out to the other man. “Hello, I’m Embry Call.”

Marco grabbed the offered hand with both of his and shook it enthusiastically. “Oh, yes! Bella told me about her wolf-mate. I look forward to getting to know you better!”

His huge smile was completely guileless and when Bella handed him the shorts Embry had brought, he showed no hint of embarrassment, just stepped into them and pulled them up without a fuss. “These short pants are quite odd. I like the feel of this fabric though,” he commented as he ran his hands across the nylon material.

The rest of the pack had emerged by that time, and Bella pulled her brother around, introducing him to everyone. Quil eyed him up, trying to decide if the merman was actually bigger than him, but then decided it didn’t matter. He would much rather be a wolf than a fish.

After Quil, Leah stepped forward, tucking her hair behind her ear before lifting her face up. She glanced down at Bella with a fond smile, then up at her brother, where she got stuck.

Marco was staring right back at her in complete awe. He reached his hands out and captured Leah’s as he gazed into her wide dark eyes. “Hello, my goddess of the forest. I am Marco. What may I call you?”

Bella stepped back and clasped her hands in delight. She could not have picked a better mate for her brother, or a stronger one for Leah. They were just perfect for each other, and now Leah truly was her sister. Embry pulled her back under his arm and kissed her softly as they watched the new couple meet.

“I’m Leah Clearwater,” Leah finally found her voice as well as a wide, clear smile she hadn’t worn in years. “You can call me Leah.”

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
